Six Habits of Highly Compassionate People

Compassion can be understood as a mental state of cognitive recognition of suffering, with an emotional feeling, and a desire to do something to end that suffering.

Everyone of us has some level of compassion built in, but no one was taught in school how to intentionally strengthen such inner skills.

• Cognitive: Recognition of suffering.
• Affective: Arising of emotion.
• Intention: A desire for relief from suffering.
• Motivation: Action to remove suffering.

• Try research-tested compassion practices, like writing exercises.
• Informal compassion: Be aware of the people around you, and acknowledge the interdependence with everyone.
• Set up an intention: Find out what you want for yourself, your life, and what you have to offer the world. 
• First-hand self-knowledge: Instead of following ready-made knowledge, find out what works for you through self-examination.
• Get support: Find support in your peers, friends, and relatives, to help make compassion a habit.
• Self-compassion: Stick to the practice even when it's hard and be gentle to yourself.